Arriving in Igloolik

In order to get to Igloolik, I first had to fly to Iqaluit. Luckily I'd put my down jacket in my hand baggage, but I was wearing ankle socks and trainers. How cold would it be? Ribbons of windblown snow were snaking along the runway - just at ankle height. In the event, it was only a short walk from the plane to the building, and the cold fresh air felt great. Iqaluit airport was positively heaving with people and an extraordinary quantity of luggage. Then 16 of us got onto an 18 seater plane and set off for Igloolik, just as the sun was setting. This was about 2pm. The flight was a couple of hours and it was completely dark by the time we landed, on a gravel runway, in Igloolik. This airport was tiny, and much less busy. Jennifer was there to meet me, a small figure muffled up in a huge down parka. Fantastic! Someone said something about how we must be really good friends for me to come and visit her here - so we laughed and confessed that we'd never met before in our lives! Jennifer and Ian completely welcomed me into their home - complete with baby Aowyn and husky dog Kuni (Inuit for kiss). The evening I arrived we all walked over to John and Carolyn MacDonald's house. John is a Scot who has been living in Igloolik for 23 years and reminded me very much of the Scottish Arctic Club members in his enthusiasm and seemingly boundless knowledge. The walk over to their house was the moment when I truly appreciated that I was in the Arctic. It was dark, but there were streetlights reflecting off the snow and Northern Lights in the sky. The houses were shrouded in frost. Ian and I had big down parkas and Jenn was carrying Aowyn in the hood of her amauti. The amauti is a traditional parka made with a big hood which the baby sits in. The hood is big enough that it can be pulled right over the baby's head to keep her completely warm and insulated from the cold. The snow squeaked under our boots and the air was crisp and cold on my lungs. It was all real, despite the horrendous journey to get here, I had finally arrived.